But when Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney stepped up to the podium to receive their much-deserved gold medals, we were not greeted with our country's red, white and blue. Instead we saw a dull gray.

Betsy Ross would roll over in her grave.

The gray jackets -- worn by most USA teams at the podium this year, including USA swimmers -- say UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the back, and have a US patch on the chest and left shoulder. But do these things really scream, "We are the USA and we're really proud to be Americans?" Not so much.

The same jacket can be yours for a pricetag of $450 in the official Team USA shop online. On this page, Nike has tried its best to defend the gray hue of the polyester jacket:

There’s absolutely no way your USA pride will go unnoticed; in addition to a Team USA patch on the chest, an Ol’ Glory patch on the left sleeve, and “The United States of America” cut out of the back with precision layers, this jacket is equipped with a hyper-reflective exterior. It catches even the dimmest light source and reflects it back with a bright flash. It’s the ultimate gear for USA athletes and their devoted fans!

I write about the fashion side of the sports industry, from sweatbands to cufflinks. I got my start with sports writing at the University of Arizona, where I was a sports editor and editor in chief for the Arizona Daily Wildcat. Shaq once questioned the validity of my age. R...